What a shambles. The Fat Controller has left two key parts of Britain's rail network in chaos.

The massive disruption to Virgin services on the West Coast Main Line and trains in and out of Liverpool Street has meant a miserable end to the festive season for huge numbers of people.

And, with no word yet on when the West Coast will re-open it could shatter the plans of football fans this weekend. But it is not just passengers - already stung by huge fare increases - who will pay for this fiasco.

To be fair Network Rail has been quick to admit that it is to blame for the mess.

The blunder is so serious it will be forced to pay Virgin Trains up to £20million compensation. It could also face a huge fine from the rail regulator.

But as most of Network Rail's cash comes from the Treasury it is the taxpayers who will pick up the bill.

Yet this calamity could easily have been avoided.

The company blames its failure to finish the jobs on time on a shortage of skilled contractors.

But management's fatal flaw was relying on contractors - whose aim is to screw as much profit from the job as possible - for such crucial work.

Network Rail has already stopped the use of outside firms for routine maintenance work.

So if contracting firms are not up to those simple tasks it is ludicrous for rail chiefs to trust them with such major improvements as this New Year holiday project.